The demon commander’s blade came down with terrifying speed, its edge gleaming as it cleaved through the air. I couldn’t react in time. The world around me seemed to slow, but the blade didn’t. The sharp metal sliced through my side, and the world exploded into a vortex of pain.

  I gasped for air, but nothing came. My mouth moved in a silent scream as the cold steel carved into my flesh, sending waves of agony crashing over me. My body went numb, the pain like a distant, pulsating heartbeat, even as I crumpled to the ground.

  Health: 10/317.

  The world around me blurred. My vision darkened at the edges, and my strength left me in a slow, draining spiral. The demon commander loomed over me, his face twisted in a sickening grin as he looked down at my broken form.

  My heartbeat was slowing, and the sound of it was the only thing I could hear. The cries of battle, the clash of weapons, the screams of the villagers—it was all fading away, drowned by the suffocating silence that threatened to pull me under.

  Health: 0/317.

  And then, everything stopped.

  The battlefield froze in place like a scene suspended in time. The demon commander’s blade hovered just inches above my body, frozen in mid-swing. Demons, their claws raised to strike, stood still as statues. The villagers, once caught in the maelstrom of violence, were motionless—frozen in the midst of their fight. Even the fire, its flames licking the sky in a fiery dance, seemed to hold its breath.

  Time had stopped. I was trapped in a moment of suspended animation. I tried to move, to breathe, but my body wouldn’t obey. My mind screamed, but it was as though reality itself was holding me in place, mocking my helplessness.

  Then, a sound—soft, almost imperceptible—cut through the silence. Footsteps, deliberate and slow, approached me from behind.

  A figure emerged from the frozen chaos. She was tall, with silver hair that shimmered like moonlight, cascading down her back in soft waves. Her eyes glowed faintly, not with malice, but with a serene power that made the air itself seem to bend around her. She wore a simple white robe, pristine despite the devastation that surrounded her, her expression one of mild dismay. Her lips were pursed in frustration.

  “Honestly, Sam,” she muttered to herself, her voice a soft, melodic lilt that carried across the frozen battlefield. “You always seem to find yourself in the worst situations.”

  Her gaze landed on me, and her frown deepened. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to intervene this time,” she said, her tone tinged with a wisp of regret. “But it looks like you’ve really gotten yourself into a bind.”

  I couldn’t respond—couldn’t even move. My eyes were the only part of me that still functioned, and I stared at her, unsure of who she was, or why she seemed so familiar.

  She knelt beside me with graceful precision, her robe barely stirring as she moved. From a pouch at her side, she pulled a small vial, its contents shimmering with a soft, golden light. “This should keep you going for now,” she murmured, her voice low and soothing.

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  She uncorked the vial and, with a gentleness that contradicted the chaos around us, tilted it to my lips. I felt the cool liquid slide down my throat, and within seconds, the effects were unmistakable. The pain that had been tearing through me vanished, replaced by a rush of warmth. I could feel the healing magic coursing through me, knitting together the damage that had been done, restoring my strength.

  Health: 343/343.

  Mana: 411/411.

  The world around me snapped back into motion, time resuming its brutal march. The battlefield, once frozen in a grotesque tableau, surged back to life as if nothing had happened. Demons continued their assault, weapons raised to strike, but now... now, I was no longer a helpless victim.

  The girl stood as the battlefield surged back into motion, her eyes meeting mine once more. There was a sadness in her gaze, a mixture of sorrow and something else—something distant, yet warm.

  “Our fates have intertwined once again, Sam,” she said softly, her voice barely audible over the din of battle. “And this time... maybe you’ll listen.”

  She glanced over her shoulder, the edge of her lips curling into a faint smile. “But I suppose you wouldn’t hear any of this. Not yet.” Her form began to fade, like mist dissolving into the air. “We’ll meet again, Sam. In time... we’ll meet again. Perhaps this time, things will be different.”

  As she faded into nothingness, the battlefield seemed to exhale, the air around me heavy with the lingering weight of her words. I wanted to say something—to call out, to ask who she was—but no words came. The moment she was gone, I felt... different. As though something had shifted inside me, though I couldn’t quite place what.

  I pushed myself up from the ground, my body moving with a fluidity I hadn’t felt before. The aches and pains were gone, replaced with a clarity of thought, a sharpness of focus that had been absent just moments before.

  The demon commander, still towering over me, seemed frozen in confusion, his sword still raised, caught in the instant before he would strike.

  Level Up!

  Level 18 achieved.

  The surge of energy from my level-up hit me like a surge of lightning, filling me with renewed vigor. My stats surged, my body reacting faster, stronger, more precisely. I could feel the increase in my power, and it was as if the world itself had shifted in response to my growth.

  Attributes:

  Health: 343/343

  Mana: 411/411

  Strength: 53

  Agility: 47

  Sense: 41

  Reaction Speed: 50

  Reaction Time: 51

  Intellect: 47

  Perception: 45

  Stamina: 41

  Available Points to Upgrade Stats: 5

  I felt the burn of the battle rage around me, but it no longer felt like an overwhelming force. I could see the demons' movements with clarity, anticipate their strikes before they made them. My body moved of its own accord, a blur of fluid motion.

  The demon commander lunged at me, his sword coming down with deadly precision, but I was faster this time. I sidestepped, my body moving on instinct, and brought the Shadow's Sword up to meet his strike.

  The sound of steel meeting steel rang through the air, but the force behind his blow was no match for my newfound strength. I countered with a quick slash, the blade flickering with shadowy energy as it tore through the air. This time, when it struck, the commander staggered back.

  His eyes narrowed, disbelief crossing his face. “Impossible...” he growled, his voice full of rage.

  I didn’t give him the chance to recover. With a quick flick of my wrist, I launched another attack, my sword slicing through the air with greater speed and precision than ever before. The demon commander raised his sword to block, but the force behind my strike sent his weapon flying from his grasp.

  Level 18 Achieved. Another surge of power hit me, and the battlefield seemed to shift with it. The demon commander staggered back, his chest heaving with disbelief. His eyes locked onto me, filled with hatred and growing fear.

  "You... You can't defeat me!" he snarled.

  I smiled, a grim, determined look crossing my face. "We'll see about that."

  The tide of the battle had changed. And I was no longer a helpless player—I was a force to be reckoned with.